Fix Me
by ASlaveToWords
Summary: Hillary and Tyson talk and work things out, putting the past behind them in attempt to move on. She knew what she'd done was wrong but they'd wronged her too. She also knew she had to move on. But Tyson's not alone, maybe she doesn't have to be either.


**A/N:** This is the sequel to "Thunder Rolls".I apologize in advance if some of the opinions herein conflict with yours, but this is the way I decided to portray the story. Also, I think I did a fairly good job with keeping the characters in character but if you disagree, I apologize for that too, just consider the circumstances. Like usual, some areas may be a little confusion if you didn't read the prequel but it's not absolutely nessissary because things should become a little clearer as you reach the end.

**Warning:** Mild yaoi; Max/Tyson pairing, but not a romance.

**Disclaimer:** Do not own Beyblade or any of the characters.

* * *

  
Big brown eyes starred out over the water as the thoughts behind them made them swirl with emotion.

"I'm sorry..." Hillary whispered to no one in particular.

Her words carried with the wind as it gently blew her hair around her. A cold chill ran down her spine but the arms across her chest didn't tighten and she didn't pull her jacket any tighter around her. She felt she didn't deserve to complain, deserved to be cold, deserved so much more then she'd gotten. But what she'd gotten, was off easy. Two years house arrest was hardly enough for the terrible crime she'd committed.

Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, Hillary knew she was no longer alone. But she didn't need to turn around to know who the person was.

"You should have pressed charges." She said tonelessly, her face straight and serious.

On the exterior she looked calm and collected, but inside was a raging storm the likes of which the world had never seen.

"No. I think I did the right thing."

As she'd expected, Hillary's -- now ex -- husband quietly approached her and stood at her side. The brunette didn't so much as turn her head as she continued to stare out over the water before her, a scene that had once been the most beautiful thing in the world to her but now looked almost foreboding and angry, even though the sun was bright and shinning with all it's glory.

"Besides, who I am to press charges against you?" Tyson said softly. "In their eyes, Max was nothing to me but something on the sidelines, a disgrace to all heterosexual married men."

"It doesn't matter what they think." Hillary said, her voice soft as well. After a long silence between the two, she finally spoke again.

"How did you find me?"

Tyson looked at her with a lopsided smile.

"I know you pretty well by now." He said softly. "It wasn't very hard to guess where to find you."

Hillary said nothing as she continued to stare ahead of her. Tyson looked down and scuffed his shoe in the sand, his hands clenching and un-clenching in his pockets as he fought against his own storm inside.

"I'm sorry Hillary." He almost whispered. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this."

"Don't apologize." She said coldly.

She knew they both had much to apologize for but she didn't want to hear it. She also knew Tyson should be furious with her but she wasn't about to apologize. In turn, she didn't expect, or feel she should receive, one from him.

Hillary took a deep, calming breath, still not looking at the blunette. Tyson frowned and looked up and out over the ocean Hillary was observing. He said nothing more but as it always had, the silence was unnerving him.

Tyson was unable to understand how Hillary could stay so still and motionless, not having moved a muscle since his arrival. He also wondered if the silence was bothering her as much as it was him. Not really answering his question but giving him a little relief, Hillary inhaled slightly and spoke again.

"You must be angry." She said tonelessly. "You have to be."

Tyson took a deep breath and starred out ahead of him for a moment before finally speaking.

"No." He said simply. "I know I should be, but I just can't make myself feel it.... I feel guilty as hell though. Ashamed. Like a total jerk.... And that night, absolutely terrified. I almost lost both of the people who meant the most to me in the world... though I know you find that hard, maybe impossible, to believe. And I guess I don't blame you."

Tyson looked down again, then looked back up and frowned.

"I ended up losing one of you anyway..."

The first sign of emotion appeared when Hillary's lips turned down into a frown. But she said nothing. It was a very long time before anyone spoke again, and Tyson felt his skin crawling from the silence. Eventually though, Hillary spoke once more.

"Why?" She asked tonelessly. "Why hide it? Why use me to hide it? Why not come out and tell me the truth?... Why did you make me believe that I was the one you really loved?"

Tyson picked up a slight underlay of pain in her voice, though she obviously tried very hard to hide it, and his heart lurched. He couldn't remember ever feeling so horrible in his entire life. He opened his mouth to speak but someone else spoke instead.

"Because we had to."

Tyson's head turned to the new voice but Hillary's head remained forward as she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth. The owner of the voice approached the two slowly and took refuge on Hillary's free side when he reached them.

"The world isn't ready for a relationship like ours, especially not being who we are."

Hillary opened her eyes and glared out over the ocean, a new fire burning in her eyes. But her outwardly appearance didn't quite display what she felt on the inside. She had immediately tensed upon the arrival of the person talking to her and she felt her emotions flare up in an almost overwhelming wave. Somehow however, she managed to keep her composure enough to deal with the situation.

"It's a new world Max." She said as calmly as she could muster. "People would have understood -- at least the ones who count. Those who don't, don't matter."

The blonde beside her sighed and turned forward like she was.

"Now maybe." He said softly. "But back then..."

Max trailed off and Hillary bristled.

"Back then?" She asked coldly. "How long exactly has this been going on?"

Max swallowed and looked at the ground, unable to look at either of the people in his company.

"All along." He said softly. "At first... at first we stayed away from each other, but..."

Unable to say anything more, Tyson spoke up.

"I asked you to marry me Hillary because I really did love you, I still do.... but.... it wasn't fair to you because it wasn't the kind of love that a wife deserves to have from her husband."

Tyson's frown deepened as he starred into the face that refused to look at him.

"We knew people would have a problem with us and our relationship so we decided to try and move on, to forget it. We thought that if one of us was no longer in the picture, the feelings would go away-"

"But they didn't." Max interrupted, finding the courage to speak again. "Soon after you two married...."

Max paused for a moment, gathering together all his strength before finally continuing.

"Soon after you married, we realized what kind of mistake we'd made... You weren't supposed to be caught up in this Hillary, you never were, and believe it or not, neither of us ever wanted to hurt you. But knowing how far we'd gone, we thought it was too late to turn back and so we just kept up the facade."

Max frowned deeply as he too starred into the brunette's face.

"I'm sorry Hillary... I really am. You never deserved this, any of this."

Hillary's jaw clenched and unclenched a few times before she finally spoke.

"I won't apologize." She said coldly. Max blinked one, his face serious.

"I don't expect you to." He said softly. "I believed that I wasn't going to make it, and I would have went knowing that I deserved it, because honestly, I can't say I would have acted any different if the tables were turned."

Hillary's heartbeat had quickened in a mix of emotions. She was hurt, upset and she was angry and her chest heaved slightly due to her quickened breathing.

"I didn't mean to...." She paused in her speech, debating whether or not to say what she wanted, but quickly decided that she wanted to.

"You weren't the one I meant to hit."

Tyson's breath hitched and his heart stung deeply. He knew the implications behind that statement and he was unable to decide if Hillary had forgotten he was there or if she simply didn't care. Judging by the look on her face and knowing she wasn't stupid, he guessed she knew exactly what she'd said and knew very well that he'd heard her and knew what she'd meant -- she'd meant him to.

Max swallowed hard but managed to keep a steady gaze with her.

"I know." He said seriously. He then forced a small smile. "Good thing your aim sucks then huh? I mean, it's too bad you didn't hit a tree or something instead, but hey, you missed all the important stuff and I'm still here right?"

For the first time since arriving at the spot, Hillary moved. Her head snapped over to look at the blonde as a murderous look took hold of her face.

"Is everything a joke to you?!" She screamed savagely, a fierce fire burning in her eyes. "Is it possible for you to be serious about anything at all? Anything?!"

Max's smile disappeared and a serious look took hold of his face, a fierce passion burning in his own eyes as well as he starred the brunette down unfazed.

"Yes Hillary, I can." He said seriously. "But unlike you, I'm willing to move on and get past what already happened. You want me to be serious? OK, how's this for you; you attempted to _kill_ Tyson, literally _kill_, and almost succeeded in killing me! Knowing you were hurting and knowing we'd done something terribly wrong to you that made us deserve what we got, we didn't press any charges against you, none at all! Instead we begged them to let you go with minimal punishment; not because we felt guilty, not because we felt we owed you, but because you're our _friend_ and because you deserved better then the way we treated you.

If you want the truth, real, serious stuff, then take a look at what you've done huh? From some people's point of view, we deserved what we got, from other's, you deserved much more; it all depends on who's point of view you're looking at. But, as you've already pointed out, the rest of the world doesn't matter, so that leaves it down to us three. I've apologized and I really mean it, the same, you and I both know, goes for Tyson. I don't know if it goes for you too but I really don't care! Now, we call all go our separate ways and never talk again, always talking bitterly about each other and glaring at each other every time we see each other walking down the street or in the supermarket buying groceries; make a real big, ugly scene out of all this. Or, we could talk it out right here and now, get it all off our chests, scream, rant, fume, whatever it takes, and leave here with a light heart and a promise to at least try to be civil to one another if we can't remain friends. Personally, I'd rather the latter, but that choice is up to you. Now, how's that for serious?"

Hillary's mouth hung agape and her arms were now loose across her chest as she starred at the blonde in shock. She was loathe to admit it, but the blonde was right. They had to move on, things couldn't stay the way they were, and it had taken the hyper-active, care-free, and fun-loving blonde beside her to point that out. She had been feeling sorry for herself and for what had happened and she was being childish when the two people beside her were willing to forgive her and move on -- even after the terrible crime she'd committed, never mind what they'd done to her. They'd forgiven her, now all she had to do was forgive herself.

Eventually Hillary regained her composure and straightened up, her jaw closing proudly as she looked at the blonde, then at Tyson. Taking a deep, calm, yet shaky breath, Hillary finally opened her mouth again to speak.

"You're right." She said finally. "We all have things to apologize for and one's just as terrible as the other, no matter what the rest of the world thinks. Having said that, I think I'll take you up on your offer."

Max tilted his head to one side questioningly and Hillary turned back to him, a suggestive glint in her eye and Max immediately understood. He gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Bring it on." He said confidently. Hillary smirked and opened her mouth again.

The sound of the three voices could be heard for miles, the volume continuously rising to great heights and lowering before rising again, but neither person cared. The three ranted and raved and spoke absolutely every thought in their head until finally all their anger and energy had diminished and there was absolutely nothing left to say.

Hillary sighed heavily in content, closing her eyes as she felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. This time the wind caressed her face affectionately as if congratulating her for her efforts. Finally she opened her eyes and looked at the two men before her.

"Thank you." She said softly. Both smiled at her and nodded.

"Are you sure you're finished?" Tyson asked softly, a playful yet warm smile on his face. "I mean, you're not gonna go home later and say; 'damn, I should have said...', are you?'

Hillary gave a small smile, her face aching slightly as if she hadn't smiled in years.

"I'm sure." She said simply.

Tyson smiled and reached out to give her a hug. Hillary hesitated for a moment but eventually reached up a single hand to place on Tyson's back, not really returning the embrace but accepting his nonetheless.

When Tyson pulled away, Max starred at the brunette, knowing a hug from him would not likely be accepted so openly. Hillary was silently grateful for this. After a few moments of watching her, not quite sure what he should do, Hillary finally gave the blonde a whisper of a smile and held out her hand. Max returned the smile and shook it, giving her digits a gentle squeeze. When he pulled his hand away he gave her a simple nod.

"See ya around?" He asked kindly, a little hopefully. Hillary starred him for a moment but finally gave another slight smile and a single nod.

"Sure." She said softly. Max smiled and walked past her, leaving her alone with Tyson.

"Need a ride?" The blunette asked gently, his hands in his pockets.

Hillary thought for a moment but eventually shook her head.

"No. I think I'll walk. It's a nice day and I've still got a lot to think about."

Tyson nodded in comprehension.

"I understand." He replied, placing his hand on her shoulder. He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and finally walked past her towards Max, whom was waiting for him a ways away.

Hillary heard Tyson's car start, then listened as it drove away until she could no longer hear it. She starred out over the ocean one more time, once more seeing it's beauty, before finally heaving a heavy sigh and turning around. She'd done enough thinking for a while and for now she just wanted a break. She still had to sort out some things, and there were many deep wounds to heal, but that would take time and there was little she could do about it at the moment. Slipping her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she headed off the beach and towards the road.

* * *

The brunette was rather tired when she finally stopped walking. She'd stopped somewhere at the beginning of town, leaning against the railing of the boardwalk she was on that over-looked the last stretch of the beach. She sighed as her arms rested against the railing and she looked out over the ocean once more. Life as she knew it was over, things were different now and she had to prepare for many new changes. She wasn't so sure how she was going to handle herself now, how she was going to accept everything that had happened and deal with it, but she vowed to herself to be brave and civil and force herself to be grown-up about it all -- no matter how hard it might be.

Being lost and deep in though, the brunette jumped slightly when a voice beside her snapped her out of her trance.

"Hey."

Hillary looked beside her to see a familiar redhead leaning backwards against the railing looking down at her.

"Hey." Hillary said slowly. She searched her memory for a few moments, trying to remember his face, until finally his name came to her.

"Johnny right?"

The redhead smiled and nodded.

"Yea, that's right. You're Hillary aren't you?"

Hillary nodded and Johnny smiled again.

"Glad you remember me." He said kindly. He then looked down and absently rubbed the back of his head, unable to look at her when he spoke again.

"Listen, um... I heard about what happened between you and Tyson.."

Hillary frowned deeply as she starred at him.

"Did you now?" She replied a little bitterly. "And let me guess, you've come to tell me that what I did was wrong, right? That it 'wasn't cool'? That you hope I apologized for what I did? Right?"

Hillary's frown deepened and she pushed away from the railing to stand up straight.

"Well, I don't want to hear it." She said indignantly. "It's none of your damn business."

The brunette turned her back on the redhead and began to walk away but his voice stopped her.

"Wait!" He said quickly. "That's not what I was going to say."

Hillary stopped and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Then what were you going to say?" She asked a little wearily. Johnny shifted uncomfortably but keep her gaze.

"I was going to say that... I mean.. I know where you were coming from. The whole gun thing was a little extreme but.."

Noting the dark look on Hillary's face the redhead hurried to continue.

"But I get it!" He added quickly. "Look, I know it must have really sucked to... ya know, find out something like that. I just... I guess I just wanted to say that if you feel terrible or anything, or like you're scum of the earth or whatever, that I don't think you are. You were upset and hurt and mad and whatever and I don't think anyone can blame you for what you did."

Hillary turned fully back around to face the young man, noting his nervous and uncomfortable composure. Although the words had been a little.. blunt, for lack of a better word, the brunette could see that the redhead meant well and really only meant to make her feel better -- even if he had a weird, if not a little harsh, way of saying it. Finally she smiled and Johnny visibly relaxed to see she wasn't angry at him.

"Thank you." She said simply. Johnny smiled and nodded.

"Sure, no problem."

Hillary chewed her cheek for a moment but spoke again.

"How did you know?" She asked, a slight frown on her face. Seeing the look of concern on the woman's face, Johnny gave her a lopsided smile.

"Don't worry, people won't find out about what happened, Tyson made sure of that. And I promise I won't saying anything.... Your lawyer is my cousin. I went to see him and heard him talking about it when I got to his office."

"Oh... I see." Hillary chewed her cheek again before adding; "Thank you."

Johnny nodded again.

There was a short silence between the two and Johnny again rubbed the back of his head as he looked off to the side.

"So uh... I was wondering if you wanted to.. I dunno, get a coffee or something? Ya know... to help you relax maybe. Just a thought."

Hillary looked to her right and saw the coffee shop across the street. She turned back to Johnny who was eyeing her a little nervously and couldn't help but smile. She'd always thought he was the brave, kind of over-confident and tough guy. That wasn't exactly the person she was seeing just then. But then, she supposed that everyone got at least a little nervous when asking someone out -- and she was smart enough to know that that's what he was doing.

The brunette tilted her head ever so slightly to one side as she observed the redhead with a warm smile.

"I don't really think coffee will make me feel any better right now." She said kindly.

Though he tried very hard to hide it, she didn't miss the disappointment on the redheads face as he shifted again from what he assumed was her rejection.

"Oh." He said a little awkwardly. "Yea. No, I totally understand. Uh.. maybe some other time."

Hillary's smile widened a little as Johnny turned to walk away.

"I think maybe something a little stronger might do it though."

Johnny turned back to Hillary and starred at her for a moment. Finally a smile lit his face again and he gave a small laugh.

"There's a good bar just down the street from here." He said with a smile. Hillary laughed lightly and held out her arm.

Johnny grinned and walked up to her, holding out his own so she could link hers with his. He gave her his most winning smile as he lead her the right way and the brunette couldn't help but smile back. A drink or two was just what she needed to unwind, and why should she have to do it alone? As long as she didn't jump into things too quickly, it was OK for her to have some company. Besides, Tyson still had someone and she knew she'd punished herself enough. If she was supposed to move on, then having someone by her side was just the right way to do that. After all, no one said she had to be alone.  


* * *

  
**A/N:** XD Gotta love Johnny! So blunt and occasionally clueless!3 Anyway, I wanted Hillary to 'meet' someone and I immediately thought of Johnny. Don't know why, but I did; he just popped into my mind. Think it's an odd pairing? Yea, me too, but I really like it. Did you expect it? I hope not. :D In any case, hope you liked my story and I hope I tied up all loose ends and that things weren't too confusing. Like I said, some areas may be a little grey if you didn't read the prequel, but it should have been clear enough with out anyway, hopefully it was. :)


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